Clinical Psychology Internship

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BC Children’s Hospital offers psychology internships and post-docs focusing on pediatric and health care psychology. The location of these internships is Vancouver, BC.

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Psychologists in health care settings face exciting challenges and demands. They carry out a full range of sophisticated diagnostic activities and provide therapeutic intervention for a variety of psychological and emotional needs. They develop and implement management strategies for patients with a wide range of behavioural symptom-management problems. They are in a position to educate and collaborate with other professionals in the hospital and in the community. In other words, the health care psychologist is a trained professional working in a complex interdisciplinary health care setting.

Senior practicum positions

The Psychology Department at BC Children's Hospital was awarded Best Practicum Site for 2017 from the University of British Columbia

The Department of Psychology at BC Children’s Hospital offers three formal senior practicum positions, annually. The positions begin in September and are of 10- 12 months, in duration (i.e. ending either in June, or extending through July/August, with a minimum commitment of 10 months). The end date is flexible due to the high interest of ongoing clinical experiences during the summer months. Applicants should have completed their masters’ degree from a CPA accredited program, have some prior, formal experience working with children and youth (supervised by a registered psychologist), and have completed a Child Assessment course. The positions require the commitment of a minimum of two days on site.

Two of these positions are more “general” in nature. Specifically, the positions may be individually tailored to the applicant’s training needs, and can cover a wide range of interests, inclusive of both: mental health and pediatrics (medical psychology), assessment and intervention, inpatient/outpatient. In addition to clinical variety, the students are exposed to all that an academic medical facility has to offer, with regard to teaching didactics, clinical rounds and seminars/work shops. Inclusive, practicum students are welcome to attend and participate in the majority of the training didactic opportunities that are offered to our clinical psychology residents and fellows. For example, our practicum students are invited to attend a two day workshop on play therapy, in addition to seminars on a variety of additional topics such as: 1) Ethics, 2) Assessment, 3) Supervision, 4) Psychopharmacology, 5) Psychosis, and 6) Diversity.

The third practicum position is specific to spending time in the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Clinic. A separate overview of this position is provided below. Applications for this position follow the same process that is outlined below.

This practicum placement adheres to the Lower Mainland notification day, and standard application deadline. Applications are due on Monday, February 19, 2018. The notification deadline is Monday, March 19, 2018. Applications should include: 1) A cover letter, 2) Two letters of recommendation, and 3) a CV. All applications can be submitted to:

In the internship, you will receive training in psychological assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of children and youth with a wide range of acute and chronic medical and mental health conditions. This includes dealing with problems such as coping with pain and loss, adjusting to physical or mental disability and/or handicap, dealing with the stress of illness and injury, and understanding how medical conditions affect family dynamics.

The residency/internship program at BC Children's Hospital was reaccredited in 2012, for six years, with the next site visit expected to occur within the 2017/2018 academic year.